The Barn Owl has
been less able to adapt to changes in the environment
during the last half a century compared to some other
birds and animals, for example kestrels and foxes have
adapted well. Some birds of prey have been saved from
extinction but the barn owl continues to be declining
rapidly, especially in Cheshire.

In
1932 there were 240 pairs of barn owls in Cheshire but by
2000 only 19 breeding pairs were recorded; that's a
staggering 92% decline. This appears to be an improvement
over 1999 when only 10 pairs were recorded but the truth
is that the count for 2000 was more accurate and though
there will be a few pairs that escaped detection this
figure can be considered to be a good reflection of dire
state of the barn owl population in Cheshire. Further
evidence of the continued decline is that on average in
2000 each breeding pair succeeded in rearing 2.2
fledgings - this is insufficient to maintain a stable
barn owl population in Cheshire. At least 3 fledglings
per pair are required; this might not seem like a big
difference but in reality it is going to need an increase
in the good work done so far and groups such as the Mid
Cheshire Barn Owl Conservation Group must seek further
help & support.

In
2003 we estimate that there are 30 breeding pairs of barn
owls in the county, five of these being in Mid Cheshire.

Major
Causes of Decline

The
causes of the decline are many but some of the main ones
are shown below:

Loss of
habitat that is, rough grassland

Loss of nest
sites

Collisions
with road and rail traffic

Drowning in
steep-sided water tanks

Prey
contaminated with rodenticides

Starvation

Severe
Winters

More
detailed information about habitat and causes of death
can be found in the "Survival of Barn Owls"
section of this site accesible from theMain index